Ad Astra Bread to Take Over Major Spot in Downtown Monterey

September 17, 2022 – It would be fair to assume Ad Astra Bread Co. has always aimed high with its bread- and taste-making game. 

Note the two-day process behind its Old World sourdoughs, the enterprising specials and the lavish focaccia flatbreads that have been a hit from the get-go. 

Ambition is there in the name, too. In Latin, “ad astra” means “to the stars.”

And now they’ll have a new launch pad. 

Ad Astra 2.0 is currently under construction in the former Bull & Bear Whiskey Bar and Taphouse (which some locals will always think of as The Mucky Duck) at 479 Alvarado Street. 

That means they’ll go from 400 square feet in their corner of Other Brother Beer Co. in Seaside to 3,000 in the heart of downtown Monterey.

While the final plan for the spot is still in development and opening is not expected until next summer, the much larger space will allow them to scale their wholesale operation dramatically, while setting up a storefront and sidewalk tables for snacking on breads and other baked goods. 

But this growth isn’t part of some shoot-for-the-moon master plan, according to chef and co-founder Ron Mendoza. 

Instead it’s the result of the organic and gradual progression of a project that started humbly and blindly. 

“Everything has been a learning experience,” he says. “We started really small, and both us and Other Brother were like, ‘We don’t know what we’re doing.’ We were just building our brands and clientele. We had no idea where it was going to go for either of us.”

He didn’t know the focus would become “spreading the gospel of good bread,” as his partner in the business and life, Alaina Musich, puts it.

“We decided to go slow and see what happens,” Mendoza says. “I didn’t know if bread was going to take off or if we would be a cool eatery. We realized that bread was what we need to focus on. That’s what we became good at.”

Of late the Other Brother set up has proved impractical. Case in point: Given the size of their modest existing oven, producing enough burger buns for clients like Stationæry and Wedo’s food truck takes six batches and several hours. Meanwhile Ad Astra is turning away requests from restaurants and farmers’ market shoppers because they simply don’t have the bandwidth to meet them.

“It’s so inefficient,” Mendoza says. “We’re doing things that are dumb and labor intensive. My team deserves better. With the new place we can be more efficient and offer more product.”

While kitchen space will dominate the footprint on Alvarado Street, plans are also in place for a counter with coffee service, pastries and other grab-and-go items. 

Keeping with the pattern, they’ll learn as they go. 

“As we’ve grown slowly, we hit a hurdle, and we ask, ‘How can we make this work?’” Mendoza says.

The down-to-Earth approach seems to conflict with the shoot-for-the-stars name. Mendoza counters that the Latin translation wasn’t the inspiration for the business moniker. Instead it’s a nod to a song by one of his and Musich’s favorite bands, Deerhunter.

“It kind of means nothing, except to me and Alaina,” he says. “That’s the deepest part of it. Anyone can take it for what they want.”

Including great bread.

Back in Seaside, Ad Astra’s current home—which opened with a bang alongside Other Brother pre-COVID—will be taken over by Other Brother’s own culinary team. 

The primary playmakers will be co-founder/brewer/burger enthusiast Kevin Brown and Josie Lewis, currently a cook at Loulou’s Griddle in the Middle, who have been leading OBBC’s burger-and-wings in-house “pop-ups.”

“We were a little intimidated opening a brewery not knowing what we were doing and a kitchen not knowing what we were doing,” co-founder Michael Nevares says. “ We’ve got a little more confidence now so we’re going to take a whack at it.”

Meanwhile a robust—and expanding—calendar of special events continues at Other Brother, including regular live music shows. 

Upcoming food events build on momentum from teaming up with the likes of Slice Project Detroit-style Pizza (of Watsonville), Full Steam Dumpling (Santa Cruz), Sunset Squares Pizza (San Francisco) and Casas de Humo BBQ (Salinas).

On the docket in coming weeks: Chickenfoot Ukrainian Soul Food (Sept. 30), Pancho’s Empanadas (Oct. 1), Masarap Filipino Cuisine (Oct. 7), Chickenfoot Brunch (Oct. 23) and Chubb’s Fried Chicken Sandwiches (Nov. 5).

At the same time, in house pop-ups are ongoing every Monday and Wednesday with Vinnie’s Drive-In featuring smash burgers, chicken wings and fries developed by Brown and Lewis.

When asked how they’re able to draw so many collaborators from across the bay and beyond, Nevares cites co-owner Evan Loewy’s relationships from extended time living in San Francisco—and a particular street-side passion.

“Evan met a lot of people through skateboarding; that’s actually how we met,” Nevares writes via email. “Those seeds of connection often lead to conversations about other common interests, like good drink and good food.”

Fittingly enough, skateboarding was the avenue that connected Other Brother and Ad Astra. Together they’ve both gone from the self diagnosis of “not knowing what we’re doing” to being major drivers of Monterey Bay epicurean connectivity. 

Ad Astra’s Instagram post announcing its new—and at that point undisclosed—home-base-to-be echoes that. 

“Twenty years ago a mentor once said, ‘What is good for the community is good for us, and what is good for us is good for the community,’” it reads. “We live by those words.”

More at adastrabread.com and otherbrotherbeer.com.